Healthier Magic Cookie Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
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Healthier magic cookie bars made grain-free, gluten-free and vegan with homemade sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Last month I went to Isaac’s school for a holiday celebration and as luck would have it a parent had brought in Magic Cookie Bars for the teachers. Remember those bad boys? Some people call them Seven Layer Bars but they have a graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, coconut and sweetened condensed milk… so rich and delicious! My mom used to make them and they were one of my favorite holiday baked goods.
At Isaac’s school that day, I couldn’t resist having a bite (or two). It was just as a good as I remembered it: before long the wheels started turning in my head and I had my mind set on making a version of my own. I can’t really call these healthy because they’re still decadent, but they’re made with wholesome ingredients and a bit healthier.
Having tasted the classic version only a day or two before I made this variation, I can honestly say they look and taste like the real deal. You could easily take them to a party, not tell anyone that they’re grain-free, dairy free and made with sweetened condensed coconut milk and people would go crazy for them.
Healthier Magic Cookie Bar Ingredients
- almond flour
- unsweetened shredded coconut and unsweetened flaked coconut
- full fat coconut milk
- coconut sugar
- chocolate chips – I like using Enjoy Life or Lily’s chocolate chips to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- chopped pecans
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
How to Make Magic Cookie Bars
Make the crust – Combine the almond flour, shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt in a large bowl. Press firmly into a 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes or until your crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Make sweetened condensed coconut milk – While the crust is cooling, combine the coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has reduced by about half. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the condensed milk over the crust and spread to the edges.
Add toppings – Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the condensed milk, then add the flaked coconut and then the pecans. Use your hands to press the mixture down slightly until the milk soaks upward into the toppings.
Bake – Bake the bars for 30 minutes at 350ºF until edges are browning a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30-60 minutes on a cooling rack. After cooling a bit, place the pan in the refrigerator to let them set up for at least two hours. If you’re in a rush you can freeze them for an hour instead.
Cut and enjoy – After cooling, lift the parchment out of the pan and place the bars on a cutting board or other flat surface. Cut the bars into 16 squares and dig in!
How to Store Magic Cookie Bars
Any leftover bars should be wrapped or placed in an airtight container. They will keep for a couple days on the countertop but I recommend storing in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
More Tasty Desserts to Try
- 4-Ingredient Almond Coconut Cookies
- Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Easy Healthier Butterfingers
- Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Vegan Graham Cracker Blondies
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Healthy Lemon Bars
Be sure to check out the full collection of dessert recipes here on EBF as well.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthier Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/8 cup coconut oil, liquid
- 1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Layers
- 1 can, 13.5 oz full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips, I used Enjoy Life
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a square (8×8) glass baking dish with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients for the crust in a large bowl and press firmly into the prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until your crust is golden brown in color. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- While crust is cooling, in a saucepan over medium heat bring coconut milk and sugar to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture has reduced by half. The coconut milk mixture should be thick reduced to about 3/4 cup. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour the sweetened condensed coconut milk over the crust and spread to the edges.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the condensed milk, then the flaked coconut, and then the pecans. Using your hands, press the mixture down a tiny bit until the milk soaks upward into the layers.
- Place in oven (still at 350°F) and bake for about 30 minutes, until edges are browning a bit. Remove from oven and cool for 30 to 60 minutes on a cooling rack. Once the bars have cooled a bit, place the pan in the refrigerator to allow the bars to set-up for at least two hours (or overnight). If you’re in a rush you could put the bars in the freezer for an hour instead.
- After cooling, lift the parchment out of the pan and place bars on a cutting board or other flat surface. If the bars are coming from the freezer, you may need to let them thaw for a few minutes before cutting as they will be pretty firm. Cut bars into 16 squares and dig in! Any leftover bars should be wrapped or placed in a sealed container. They can be left out for a couple days or stored in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Hi I don’t have coconut sugar so can I sub maple syrup? Can’t wait to try these!
Hey Christine – Do you have a granulated sweetener like brown sugar or cane sugar? I would go for one of those options as the consistency is more similar to that of coconut sugar. Using maple syrup might work, but it also might make the condensed milk too liquidy.
I tried brown sugar and my first try came out grainy and burnt at 45 minutes. I tried again and stirred for 30 minutes on low heat until it was carmel color and runnier than the video provided. It seemed to work fine, just a bit runnier. I also chopped up dates since I didn’t have enough chocolate chips. It’s in the oven now! Looking forward to trying this yummy desert!
Ohhh I’m so sorry the first batch didn’t turn out for you, but thank you for letting me know. How did the second batch turn out and taste?!
Is there a gluten free substitute for the almond flour??
Almond flour is gluten-free!
My apologies, I meant GF and nut free!!
You could try oat or gluten-free AP flour. I haven’t tried it, so I’m not 100% sure if the ratios should be the same, but let me know what you end up trying and how it turns out!
Thanks so much Brittany, can’t wait to try this! Love your recipes 🙂
It was a disaster. I did everything to the directions and the liquid did not reduce down. I had no idea what spreading meant. In my case it means you pour over the crust. They did not turn out. Wish I had a video I could have referred to.
Hi Diane. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. Were you using regular canned coconut milk to make the sweetened condensed coconut milk? Did you change anything with the ingredients?
I have a complaint. These are too delicious and my boyfriend demands them too frequently. It’s straining our relationship. Please, think twice before posting such an amazing, easy, and adaptable recipe again. Jk, never stop.
Haha!! You had me worried for a second. 🙂 I’m so glad you guys are loving these bars, Katherine!! I so appreciate you taking the time to come back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me!
Hi Brittany, thank you for all of the delicious recipes! I was wondering if for the crust, you could just use vegan Graham crackers and coconut oil, and if you would happen to know roughly how much that would require?
I am soooooo excited to try these, haven’t had these bars in YEAAARSSS!
Thank youuuu :))
You’re so welcome, Morgan!! I’m sure you could, I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how many graham crackers you would need, but I’d just experiment with it. 🙂 Let me know if you try it and how the bars turn out!!
The recipe is good, all the flavours are delicious. However, realistically this makes 9servings. 16 servings in an 8×8 is 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch…
I also would do 1.5x the crust recipe to make it thicker, it barely went to the edges of an 8×8 pan.
Absolutely delicious! I took one shortcut and used a can of sweetened condensed coconut milk but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Yum, my husband and I loved these. Love all of the recipes we’ve tried from your site!
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kaitlyn. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it!
This was so frikin’ good! I never comment on recipe blogs but for this one I just had to. My husband requested magic squares like the ones he grew up eating but minus all the bad ingredients. And here we are! So so good!
Ahh this makes me so happy to read, Sarah! 🙂 I’m so glad these bars were a hit. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it.
Just made these. First the sweetened condensed coconut milk- omg just sipping it with a spoon! I did have to use regular sugar as I was out of coconut sugar. The milk took a while to make but I just did other cooking while it reduced. I baked and refrigerated them. We have already eaten like half the pan! OMG dangerous- I keep telling myself it’s mostly good fat😆
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Julie!! I’m so glad these bars were a hit. Thanks for tying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment. I so appreciate it!
My partner and I devoured these! Absolutely delicious!
Aren’t they sooo good?! I’m glad they were a hit! Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Stacey. I so appreciate it!
Would it be possible to use cashew milk or cashew cream instead of coconut milk?
Hey Alexandra – I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it! It might not turn out the same, but you can certainly try it. Let me know if you do and how the bars turn out!